The following is this week’s I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE Honoree by Erin Gregory
“Melissa made me a better person.” Chris Heeren dedicated the honor of this article to his late wife, Melissa, who passed away in August. She was an IYW Honoree just last year. Chris and his wife Melissa clearly had a beautiful love, and he said that without her he wouldn’t be the man he is today. Everything he does is because she pushed him to become a better man.
Chris Heeren is a bright light in Danville. Anyone who knows him can confirm that he is one of the most caring and kind humans to walk the earth.
Luckily, Danville is the place Chris and his family decided to plant their roots. He was born and raised in Danville but had moved to Chicago for a time. In 1999, he and his wife purchased a local business and moved their family back to Danville. Chris says, “I stay here because I love the simplicity of life here.” With a little of everything and not too much of anything, Danville has become the perfect home for Chris. He loves to road trip, hike, golf and explore the beauty of the world. Being so close to our beautiful parks gives him the opportunity to explore. Chris’s love for Danville has even spread to his children, as six out of his seven children still live here with their families
Chris has volunteered his time as a board member and helped at numerous events in the past 25 years. Now, Chris is the Treasurer for the City of Danville, which he does with the pure motive of helping ensure that our city is operating with integrity and purpose. When asked why he does what he does, Chris said, “After a lot of life experiences and mistakes, I’ve learned to follow my heart and intuition.” He wants to be able to set a great example for his family to learn from and follow.
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Chris, you know he is doing a wonderful job of setting a great example for his family and anyone else that looks up to him. The best lesson that he has learned, and I think everyone should learn and come to terms with, is you are the only person responsible for your actions and happiness. Chris finds his happiness by spreading kindness everywhere he goes. He lives with the wisdom from his journey, and the love of his family and friends in his heart.
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org
or Jodie Ingram, Vermilion Advantage jingram@VermilionAdvantage.com
